Sincerely
by ninjas-and-hepburn
Summary: Raph decides to get a little reading in while waiting for April.


He was early. Raph had promised to come by April's place and pick some things up for Donnie while on his nightly patrol. April had texted him earlier saying she'd be a little late. Raph waited on the fire escape, shivering slightly by the cool night breeze. Suddenly, the lock on the window shook and April appeared.

"It's about time."

"Sorry. My friend was dead set on coming in."

"All good. Do you have the nerd junk?"

"You mean the spare parts for Donnie's lab?"

"Like I said, the nerd junk."

April smiled and motioned for Raph to join him. The turtle leaped through the window and followed her down the hallway.

"You can wait in my room while I go find everything."

"Alright."

Raph had never been in April's room, but it didn't faze him, unlike his brother. The room was fairly normal: there was a bed, a desk, and other things Raph expected teenage girls to like. He sat down on the bed and flinched as it rose and fell. Her bed was a lot firmer than hers. He looked over to the nightstand. There was a picture of Raph, his brothers, and April in the lair from the day they defeated Kraang Prime. He smiled at the joy of seeing the picture. The nightstand also held a lamp and tons of books, one of which was significantly different than the rest. The leather bound book lay on top of the stack, brown and worn with time. Raph picked it up and opened to the first page. It read,

_**Diary of April O'Neil**_

_**DO NOT READ!**_

"Oh this is too good," Raph said to himself. Raph turned the page to find many pages had been torn out of the diary. The first entry started from the day that Metalhead was first created.

_I decided to start writing again because my life has become too interesting not too. I tore out the previous pages for fear of embarrassment if anyone was to find this book._

How ironic.

_My new friends the ninja turtles are so great. They are all so different and cool. Today, Donatello created this robot to help aid in combat. At first I thought it was cool, then it began. Metalhead was loud, obnoxious, and hardly useful. I had to wait on the roof while Leo, Raph, and Mikey went into a Kraang facility. Metalhead stayed on the roof with me; Donnie controlling him from the lair. Kind of like a video game. While I was focusing on the facility, Donnie started talking about me, without realizing I could hear him. He said I was beautiful. As much as appreciated the compliment, it was weird. I told him I could hear him and he began to freak out. Sometimes I wonder if he really does like me as much he lets on._

"You have no idea," Raph thought.

"Raph?"

Raphael fumbled with the diary and let it fall to the ground in his panic.

"Yeah April?"

"I think my Dad stowed the parts away somewhere. Do you mind waiting a little longer while I look?"

"No problem! Do you need help looking?"

"No I got it."

"Good," he whispered. He flipped the page.

_I think Donnie thought we went on a date last night. What we were really supposed to be doing was investigating the disappearance of a scientist. We came across a monkey mutant, who beat Donnie up really bad. I helped him back to the lair and treat his injuries. Raph called me Donnie's girlfriend while laughing at the situation. I'm not his girlfriend. I'm just his friend._

"Didn't realize that made you so mad Ape," he thought. He skipped through more pages detailing fighting Karai, defeating Kraang Prime, the discovery of her powers, and the one that caught Raph's the eye the most: meeting Casey Jones.

_Since my fight with the turtles, I've been trying to readjust to normal life. It would be easier if I knew where my mutant father was. Anyway, as I was preparing for first period, this dirty, grungy thing appeared. He was playing hockey in the hallway! He knocked me over. Then he began asking me if I would be willing to tutor him. His cockiness almost kept him from finding a tutor. But I decided to do it anyways, what's the harm? He said his name is Casey Jones. What a name._

_After school, I met Casey at the park. He didn't try at all. He hasn't even opened his trigonometry book. He thinks he's going to become an international bounty hunter. Casey doesn't want a normal life. If only he knew how much I yearned for one. Then we were interrupted by Donnie's Mutagen Man, who kept shouting my name. Casey and I momentarily defeated him but then Casey grabbed his bike and pulled me onto it with him. It was actually a lot of fun. We got to my apartment when I found out that the turtles were also trying to defeat Mutagen Man. I distracted Casey long enough for them to defeat him. I'm still mad at them, but I'm glad they got rid of the problem. Meanwhile, Casey was talking about how much he enjoyed our date. What date? It was a study session. He said he would use his skills to get me to go out with him. I told him fat chance. But we went ahead and scheduled our next session. As he rode away, I thought about it. As cocky, rude, dirty, and unpolished as Casey is, he's kinda cute. Who knows? If he ever does ask me out, I just might say yes. That's me. April O'Neil: Mutant Magnet and the Vigilante's Princess. Oh God._

"So, April's got a thing for Casey," Raph thought to himself. "Surprise surprise." Raph turned the page to find more about his best friend.

_This may sound stupid but right now all I can think about right now is Casey. This dirty hockey player has somehow snuck into my mind. The other night Donnie was following me home and I got angry. So I decided to pay a visit to the Hockey Rink. I knew he'd be there. He's always there. He was shooting lined up pucks into the goalpost when I walked in. He looks really great in his practice uniform. Especially from behind. He has a great butt. He helped calm me down when I told him about my situation. Of course I didn't tell him that I was friends with mutants, but I worded it so that he could understand. He told me about a friend he had that began hating him after a freak accident. Casey helped me realize that some things ARE just beyond our control, just like Donnie said. In a way, he's smarter than all of us. Maybe not book smart but smart. Then the Foot showed up and it got difficult. I had to leave him, but thankfully the turtles showed up and we defeated them all together. Then I remembered I'd forgotten Casey at the rink. Turns out he defeated the Foot bots by himself. I was so happy to see him, I ran onto the rink without skates. I began to slip and slide but thankfully Casey caught me. He held me and I felt safe for the first time since I'd left the turtles. But now that I had forgiven them, maybe they could meet Casey one day soon. Hopefully under better circumstances._

Just then, the bedroom door swung open and April was standing there with a box of spare parts.

"Hey Raph I found the stu-"

She immediately noticed what book Raph was holding and how intently he was paying attention to it. She sat the box down on the ground and closed her bedroom door. Her arms crossed as her face filled with red hot rage.

"AprilIdidn'tmeantoItwasamisunderstanding," was all Raph could manage. He had placed the diary down on the bed as he stood to face her.

"Seems like you were reading my journal."

"Okay maybe it's not as difficult as I said."

April pulled out her tessen and began to beat the mutant with it. He tried to block her hits but she was fast. It wasn't long before he was laughing at the situation.

"I can't believe you read my journal," she yelled, continuing to hit him.

"I believe it's labeled diary."

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!"

"Chill out Ape," he laughed. He had fallen back onto the bed and April towered over him; swinging her arms in manic embarrassment.

"WHAT DID YOU READ?!"

"NOTHING!"

"I DON'T BELIEVER YOU!"

"You shouldn't. April calm down, I'm sorry."

Her hits slowed and she sat next to him on the bed. After catching her breath, April caught Raph off guard and punched him hard in the arm.

"Ow!"

"You deserved it. Reading my journal is an invasion of privacy."

"I'm really sorry." He patted her on the knee. She covered her eyes and cheeks with her hand.

"So what did you read?"

"Nothing important," Raph answered.

Her hand remained on her eyes. He was trying to hold it in for her sake, but it exploded out of him.

"Except for the fact that you've got the hots for Jones," he said subtly.

Hand still covering her face, April let out a long moan of defeat and fell backward onto the bed. Raph began to giggle evilly.

"So, on a scale of one to ten, one being totally gross and ten being completely dreamy, how cute is Casey?" Raph said this sentence in the tone of a stereotypical teenage girl. He looked back at April. Her face was completely red with embarrassment. She let out another groan. "I'll take that as completely dreamy."

"Shut up," she finally replied.

"So does he know you stare at his butt on the reg?"

April blindly grabbed a pillow from her bed and got up to push it into Raph's face.

"I'm going to kill you I swear." She was smiling and laughing but you could tell she was still upset.

"But you love me!"

"All the more reason to."

"And what would Casey think of you murdering his best friend? He definitely wouldn't ask you out then."

April shoved the pillow into his face harder and they continued to scuffle on the bed. They got tired after a minute or two, and April reclined on the backboard of the bed.

"I'm sure you read the part about you too right?"

Raph lit up.

"There's something about me in there?"

April grabbed the diary and opened it to show him.

"Might as well show you now that you know."

She turned a few pages in the book to the day when they infiltrated the Kraang's secret headquarters.

_After they guys' nightly warmup (2 hours!) we met this guy named Kurtzman. He has been studying and investigating the Kraang for a long time. We decided to go to the Kraang's secret hideout after they found us at Kurtzman's. I was okay for the first few minutes and then we were found out. There was a fight and I got captured. Again. I'm getting really tired of that. So the Kraang took me to a room and strapped me onto this table. They were about to dissect me when Raph showed up. I was expecting Donnie, but I'm glad it was Raph. Donnie babies me too much. I want to be able to things for myself. On the other hand, that's how I got myself strapped to a table ready for dissection. Anyway, Raph struggled with some Kraang and the needle was about to enter my temple but I screamed and all of a sudden, everything stopped. Raph managed to get me out of the straps and carry me out. The other guys came in at that moment and Donnie grabbed me and pushed Raph away. I didn't say it in the moment because we were in a rush, but that made me mad. Raph risked his life to save me, and Donnie acted as if he was the only one that cared about me. Like he was the only one that was worthy of saving me. Even though alien plots make me seem a little helpless, I don't need anyone's help. That's why I like Raph. He does not undermine me or just expect me to ask for help. As we escaped, I didn't get a chance to formally thank him. I hope he knows how much his little rescue meant to me._

Raph looked up at April who was smiling at him.

"I guess this is the right time to tell you."

"Guess so," he answered.

"Thank you."

"No problem Red." He ruffled her hair and he hit him with his pillow. "Does this mean you forgive me for reading your diary."

"It's a journal. And no." She beat him with the pillow a few more times. "But," she began, "As angry as you make me." She tugged on his bandana tails and pulled him into her. "I do love you. A lot more than I should. ESPECIALLY after you read my diary."

"Ha! You said diary!"

"No I didn't."

"Yes you did."

"Nope."

Raph placed his hand on the back of her head and brought it towards his so that they were touching.

"I love you too kid."

"Don't call me kid."

"Squirt?"

"No."

"Champ?"

"No."

"Princess?"

"DEFINITELY not."

"How about April? That's the best name ever."

"Perfect. Just like you."

She gave him a quick peck on the nose. "The guys are probably getting worried. Better get going."

They walked down the hallway and towards the window. Raph crouched in the window as he looked back at the tiny girl.

"Thank you for Donnie's stuff."

"You're welcome."

Raph turned to exit then window and April called out, "Bye Raph."

Raph smiled, "Bye Princess." He caught sight of her little pout just as he jumped into the night sky.


End file.
